North Lanarkshire Council confirms £1m-plus repair costs for Airdrie's John Smith Pool but is 'confident' facility will reopen
North Lanarkshire Council has confirmed it will cost more than £1m to repair Airdrie's John Smith Pool - but is "confident" in the facility's "timely reopening".
Last week, Lanarkshire Live reported on how the popular town centre leisure venue was set to be shut for a further two months, after its doors were closed in late December for what was initially described as "technical issues" before being identified as "flooding to the pool plant room".
Councillors and officers have been exploring ways to reopen the "critical community asset" since and the local authority's Labour administration will put forward recommendations to committee in August that will ask councillors to approve a "realignment of funds" to ensure the pool returns for use.
It is expected that it will cost £1.057 million to reopen the facility.
Council leader Jim Logue said: "Despite scaremongering attempts from local politicians, the closure of John Smith Pool was never on the table.
"The pool suffered serious damage over the Christmas period, and it has taken time to assess the damage, calculate the associated costs and determine a plan to reopen the pool and avoid further similar issues in the coming years.
"As such, I instructed officers to detail the costs for repair and enhancement and this will total £1.057 million, with the details being brought to the meeting of the communities committee on August 18.
"It remains my expectation that following committee approval, repair work will be undertaken thereafter and the people who use this pool will have access to it once again.
"I wish to thank residents for their continued patience and pay tribute to those councillors who have worked diligently to find a solution, while others have indulged in posturing and political opportunism.
"This Labour administration will always put our communities first."
Airdrie MSP Neil Gray says his constituents "have been given mixed messages for months as to what is happening with the pool".
He added: "The John Smith Pool must be reopened as quickly as possible.
"It is well used and popular, not just with leisure swimmers, but local clubs and community groups.
"My constituents have been given mixed messages for months as to what is happening with the pool and have been left to travel across North Lanarkshire for swimming lessons, club swimming and leisure activities.
"Local clubs, social groups and additional support needs groups have been let down and kept in the dark, continuing to be charged despite being considerably inconvenienced or not being able to access a pool at all."
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